


I Know

by helvel



Series: Fanboy Expanded Universe [4]
Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, Meta
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-18
Updated: 2018-09-18
Packaged: 2019-07-13 19:53:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16024835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/helvel/pseuds/helvel
Summary: "Is this canon?" Kylo asks.





	I Know

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for 400+ kudos on Fanboy!

Why are puppets so fucking creepy? By day, the animatronic Ewoks move like they should have been put out of their misery years ago, creaking with disjointed movements as they dance around a flickering paper fire. By night, their stillness is even worse. Dark shadows dance over the lifeless animatronics as the fire flickers on. Kylo watches for a moment. Animatronic Wicket watches back. A shiver runs down Kylo's spine.

"It's kind of creepy here at night," he admits.

" _Quiet,_ " Hux says.

Kylo rolls his eyes. Good to know that Hux still has that stick lodged up his ass. The guy can't even relax for a minute. Not that Kylo can complain about it too much right now. This is all thanks to Hux, after all. The reason why they're here, alone, in the deserted park.

Because tonight, they're going to steal Kylo's Darth Vader costume.

And tomorrow, they're going to spend twelve hours in Hux's car.

But the day after that, they're going to be at Star Wars Celebration, and Kylo is going to become Darth Vader in the real world for the first time.

He's ready. He's trained for this for years, perfected his scenes in The Deathstar Experience until his own performance is inseparable from the real Vader. Now, he's ready to move to the next level. 

It's never been possible before, because apparently there's some policy that prevents Kylo from removing the costume from park premises, and also, Snoke has caught him every time he's tried. That's where Hux came in. He turned his obsessive, analytical nerd brain to planning their heist, and now all of Kylo's dreams are going to come true.

Kylo would kiss him for it, if Hux wasn't so weird about that kind of stuff. Instead, Kylo settles for grabbing the back of Hux's hood and yanking it down off his head.

"Stop that," Hux snaps at him, pulling the hood back up.

" _Quiet,_ " Kylo repeats in a nasally imitation of Hux's earlier warning. Hux gets that twitchy look, like he's holding himself back from slapping Kylo. It's kind of cute. But Kylo can't let himself get distracted. They have a job to do.

The Deathstar Experience looms above them, blotting out the night sky behind it. It's locked for the night, but Hux picks through the set of stolen keys until he finds the right one to let them in. 

The hum of fluorescent lights is the only sound inside. It feels weird being here without the usual bustling energy, and Kylo follows so close at Hux's heels that he nearly trips over him when they reach the dressing room. 

"Careful, Ren," Hux warns. He pushes Kylo into the room. "Now be quick. We shouldn't linger."

Please - like Kylo isn't a professional at this. He shrugs off his jacket, but he only manages to get his shirt halfway over his head before Hux starts tugging it back down.

"What are you doing?" Hux snaps.

"Putting on my costume!"

"You're not wearing it out of the park."

"Uh, that's kind of the whole point of this."

Hux scowls at him. "I don't know if you realize this, but we are breaking and entering right now. The last thing we need is for you to be wearing a Darth Vader costume when we get arrested." He shoves at Kylo's chest with the duffle bag he made Kylo bring. "Put it in here. And be quick."

Sighing, Kylo starts shoving the Vader pieces into his bag. "This is not how I thought this day was going to go," he mutters to himself. 

Leather pants, chestplate, and codpiece all get stuffed into the bag. Kylo stops when he reaches Vader's cape. He turns to Hux, aiming for a look that's something between puppy dog eyes and Bambi. 

"Can I at least wear the cape, _General?_ "

An unreadable expression flits over Hux's face. His lip twitches. Kylo starts shoving the cape into the bag. But then, Hux surprises Kylo by saying, "You may wear the cape."

Weird. But Kylo isn't going to question it. He finishes packing Vader into the bag, with the helmet reverently set on top, before getting to his feet and tossing the cape around his shoulders with just the right amount of dramatic flair. 

He catches a glimpse of himself in the dressing room mirrors. Cape billowing around his shoulders, Darth Vader's helmet gazing out of the bag under his arm. It's a look that his character would be proud of. Like Kylo Ren is returning to the Finalizer from a mission to... a Sith temple... or... something. Hux will have an idea for it later.

Kylo turns to him, and finds Hux studying the wall of neatly folded costumes. His own Grand Moff Tarkin costume is untouched on its rack, but Hux picks up an Imperial officer cap. 

"Hux?" Kylo says.

"Are you ready?" Hux asks in response, tucking the cap under his arm. 

Kylo follows him from the room. Instead of going back to the exit, Hux turns towards the sets. 

"Hux?" Kylo says again. He knows where Hux is going, though. He knows what they're going to see, and he can't help but be a little curious.

The set feels even quieter than the rest of the park did. They spend the better part of their workdays here, and there's something unsettling about seeing it so empty. The blurry projection of Alderaan shines in the viewport, waiting. Just waiting, until someone arrives to start the scene again. Kylo feels the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. 

"Creepy," he says in awe. 

As far as he knows, no one has ever died in the park, but Kylo once watched a documentary about residual energy or some shit like that. He half expects to see a Force ghost of himself pushing Rey along in their costumes, Vader and Leia. That would be pretty cool, actually. 

As it is, there are no ghosts - only Hux striding across the set with the Imperial officer cap on his head. He stops in front of the viewport, assuming his position at the start of their scene, and waits.

He looks ridiculous. If he wanted to play this game, why didn't he take Tarkin's costume from the dressing room, instead of a cap that Tarkin doesn't wear at any point of A New Hope? But Kylo can play along. Just try and stop him. 

Kylo adopts Vader's heavy tread and imagines an invisible Leia in front of him as he approaches, cape billowing behind him. He stops a few steps behind Hux, presenting the invisible princess.

Hux turns towards him. His expression isn't Tarkin's disaffected look, but an annoyed sneer that Kylo has seen many times before.

"Lord Ren," Hux snaps in a clipped Imperial accent. "I see you've returned from your mission."

Oh.

Grand Moff Tarkin may not wear an officers' cap, but General Hux does. 

Kylo can only gape at him for several awkward moments. "Uh. Yes," he says, finally and eloquently. As practiced as Kylo is at Darth Vader, playing the role of Kylo Ren like this is still new to him. He thinks back to his idea from the dressing room, of Kylo Ren returning from a Sith temple with Vader's helmet in tow. He maintains his cool composure as Hux strides towards him. 

"I've warned you about carrying your grandfather's helmet around the Finalizer," Hux says. 

Kylo shrugs, making no effort to hide Vader's helmet in his bag. "It's nothing you need to concern yourself with, General."

"It frightens the stormtroopers."

"Perhaps if your training program was-"

"Enough," Hux snaps. God, he's good at this. "The fact of the matter is that I've warned you about this before, and I'm thus entitled to follow through with whatever disciplinary procedures I see fit."

Kylo raises an eyebrow. So that's what Hux is angling at. Sometimes Kylo wonders why people think he's the weird one between the two of them.

Hux takes another step closer. "Tell me, Lord Ren. Do you think it's in your best interest to displease me?"

Unintimiated, Kylo matches the step forward, looming over Hux and scowling down at him. "You don't have authority over me," he growls, low and threatening, "Only Supreme Leader Snoke-"

Hux stops the words as his hand grips Kylo's jaw.

"Do not say his name when you're about to suck my cock," Hux warns.

_God,_ he's good at this. 

* * *

It's only a small stretch of the imagination to look at the scatted bits of clothing around them and imagine it as the aftermath of a tryst between Kylo Ren and General Hux. Vader's helmet, Kylo Ren's most prized possession, fell from its carrier and rolled halfway across the room. Hux's officers' cap got crushed at some point, but he's placed it back on his head as he relaxes beneath the projection of Alderaan. Kylo asks if they should get dressed and leave, but Hux, surprisingly, says no. He says they still have a few moments before the next patrol of stormtroopers comes through this section of the Finalizer. Who is Kylo to disagree? 

According to The Force Awakens, the Finalizer's crew might not be that shocked to find them like this. They seem terribly interested in the private lives of their commanders. In truth, even Kylo isn't sure what's going on between Kylo Ren and General Hux. Nothing in their fic suggests that the characters have a relationship beyond their public bickering, but they've played this game often enough that Kylo can't help but wonder.

He lifts his head from Hux's thigh to look up at him.

"Is this canon?" Kylo asks.

Hux opens his eyes. "Is what?"

"Uh." Kylo waves a hand between them. " _This._ " 

Hux twitches, and gets that look. His shoulders have gone rigid and he draws himself up. "I," he begins, then stops. "You know I'm not the most..." Hux seems to consider several words. "... _forthcoming_ person.

Kylo resists the urge to repeat ‘ _forthcoming_ ' in the nasally tone he uses to imitate Hux.

"I'm not very good at this," Hux continues. "Well, you know what I'm like. But I've thought about this lately, a lot. I..." Hux has to pause to gather himself again. "I like being with you. And I would like to continue being with you. So, if you're in agreement... then I would say that _yes,_ Ren. _This,_ " Hux waves his hand between them just as Kylo had, "is canon. 

Every one of Kylo's brain cells stops working as he tries to understand that answer. He'd been asking if Kylo Ren and General Hux were DTF between the lines, but Hux has answered an entirely different question. 

"Wait," Kylo blurts, "Are you saying that you'll be my boyfriend?"

Hux raises an eyebrow. "That's what you were asking, wasn't it?"

He's serious.

Kylo grins.

"Yeah," he says.

**Author's Note:**

> [helvel.tumblr.com](http://helvel.tumblr.com/)


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